keith1612 wrote:boaters spend alot of money in local businesses buying fuel, equipment, repairs, etc.Vernon had enough cash for nice walking paths all over town a few enhanced boat launches is a no brainer.

Great idea, lets drain all of our city coffers for a public Marina to accommodate a few rich people like you. If the people with boats spend a lot of money, then they certainly can easily afford private moorage fees at the private Marinas. I for one do not support my taxes going to a Marina that only the rich can afford to be a member of. In case you have not noticed the unemployment rate pre-summer in Vernon is 15.6%, so do you still think spending money on a Marina is wise spending? Do you think that this would provide full time employment year round, and employ plenty of people? It amuses me that you put your recreation for a few months out of the year ahead of the environment, also amazes me that some people with there fancy power boats such as yourself truly believe they rule the waters and can attempt to dictate how the city functions and spends it money.

lol all boaters are far from rich.but tourism does make a big difference on vernon's economy.we dont get revenue from funtastic all year should we cancel baseball fields because we all dont use them?i dont play soccer or use the powerhouse theater yet i support them through taxes.there are many things not used by everyone vernongeek.are you suggesting we should cancel all those also?with the age of internet how many truly need a library anymore?yet we all fund it.yes i feel marina's and any tourism related expenses are wise ones.sorry you feel vernon should cancel all activities that dont fit into your social enjoyment.

keith1612 wrote:lol all boaters are far from rich.but tourism does make a big difference on vernon's economy.yes i feel marina's and any tourism related expenses are wise ones.sorry you feel vernon should cancel all activities that dont fit into your social enjoyment.

You are now contradicting yourself. First you say boaters spend a lot of money and help boost the tourism industry. Now you are back peddling and saying all boaters are from rich? Which is it? If they are far from rich, then how can they pour money back into the economy? As for me feeling about cancelling all activities, umm really, Is your driveway a yellow brick road? You don't make any sense. I did not say once they could not enjoy boating, they can enjoy boating but pay the moorage fees at the private Marinas. Library, what are you talking about?

The topic is about a public Marina, not the theatre's, not the library, not about baseball or soccer fields, its about a public Marina. Please get back to topic and stay on topic.

Well summer is finally here and the same problems are back. Over used launches and no place to park vehicles and trailers when your boat finally makes it into the water. By afternoon on the weekends you are out of luck, no room to park. You want to stay on your boat, again your out of luck, NO OVER NIGHT PARKING. Yet no one is in the parking lot. Another missed opportunity to make money. Suggesting that people use private marinas is silly, the yacht club is full, booked, and that is only for those that stay on one lake. You have to book into a water front hotel to use their moorage. It would be a money making venture for Vernon to have a marina. Vernonites and visitors could benefit by this. Vacationers could keep their boat in the water for the duration of their visit, without having to use the launch daily, freeing it up for those that do, these are often heated sites of unhappy frustrated boaters, someone can't back up, someone jumps the line, someone takes to long. Boaters could come from other towns along the lake to visit and spend money. This could bring the Lakeshore Plan to the forefront rather than waiting 30 years.

We could also recoup more money if we charged a boat launching fee instead of a parking fee.

More people launch their boats than can park in the lot, including commercial operations such as boat rentals that don't park at the launch at all. A launching fee would reflect the actual use of the BOAT LAUNCH, instead of a parking lot. It costs more to maintain a boat launch than a parking lot.

Good luck getting any developer to agree to our Lakefront plan - just look at the new marina going in at Tuscan Terraces and the fence into the water and across the beach at the Strand.

Meanwhile, several properties are currently for sale along Lakeshore Road, some at lot value.

We might have had a chance (as part of the Regional District) at public ownership of these properties to create one continuous lakeshore park from Kin Beach, but now, under the purview of the cash-strapped City of Vernon, waiting 30 years is likely optimistic, leecarr.

I don't know what the largest industry is in the OKanagan, but I'm fairly sure that tourism is high on the list. And our beautiful lakes are a large part of the reason tourism is so popular in this area. If we overly restrict access to those lakes, it is bound to eventually have a negative effect on the level of tourism. And while there are those who consider that to be a good thing, I doubt they'll still think so when their taxes go up to counteract the reduced revenue from all those tourists. Or when we lose a lot of our local stores and restaurants for the same reason. The local job loss would be huge, people would move away, and the cost to the local ecomomy would increase even more.

Not all tourists, or locals, who own boats are rich folks. I know many, many people who would like more lake access who are far from being classified as "rich". On the contrary, the "rich" are more likely to be those who already own their own piece of lakeshore and don't want their particular piece of paradise being disturbed by those they consider to be the "great unwashed". I don't think any of us want to see pristine wetlands converted into marinas, but maybe it's time to reclaim some of the more suitable lakeshore property for public rather than private use. There was a time when only Canadian Citizens were allowed to own lakeshore property, which helped with some of the absentee landlord issues. But personally, I'd like to see all lakeshore property revert to the crown, and only be available for lease back to municipalities and individuals. I'd also like to see a more even split between public and private use. It isn't fair that much of our accessible lakeshore has been turned into a playground for the very rich, while the rest of us battle for competing use of the tiny remainder.

"In a world swathed in political correctness, the voting booth remains the final sanctuary where the people are free to speak" - Clifford Orwin